I love when NASA complains that no one is interested in the public in what they do: yes putting up satellites and standard shuttle flights are just sooooo exciting. Do something cool (like the comet impact) and you'll generate support.
Answer me this without looking it up: who was the mission commander of the space shuttle that went up and successfully landed prior to the Columbia disaster?
Answer me this without looking it up: who was the fourth man to walk on the moon?
And finally, answer me this: do you honestly think that NASA just whimsically ended its Apollo program? Or was it forced to end because the American public lost interest and Congress thus cut NASA's funding?
Your answers tell the whole story.
Hitting that comet was pretty damn cool.